The subject invention relates to pressurized dispensing systems for dispensing a viscous liquid, and more particularly to systems for dispensing such liquid in a controlled way under variable pressures.
Persons skilled in the food dispensing arts have devised a number of systems for dispensing food in a controlled way. This is usefull in the case where the food is a viscous liquid, and it is desirable to dispense the food in a decorative or aesthetically pleasing way. For example, one age-old technique involves a hand-held frosting bag having a nozzle at one end for dispensing the frosting. There are a number of more sophisticated arrangements for dispensing frosting and the like under pressure for the purpose of decorating pastries, cakes, cookies, and other baked goods. U.S. Pat. No. 3,272,393 to Roeser shows a system having a pedal-operated dispenser that includes a variable pressure valve in fluid communication with a dispensing nozzle. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,977 to Lisi shows another pedal-operated system for dispensing frosting and the like. The Roeser system may provide somewhat better control over the fluid; and it does not rely on the undesirable use of water to drive the dispensing. But Roeser is unduly complicated and not sufficiently compact. Moreover, its configuration may lead to problems with fluid weeping out of the dispenser due to residual pressure acting on the dispenser.
The art needs a more efficient and elegant arrangement for dispensing food in a controlled way.
The present invention overcomes the problems of the prior art and provides a simple and useful gas-assisted food decorating system for applying a viscous fluid to an item of food. The system includes a foot pedal assembly having a pedal housing and a pedal movably secured to the pedal housing. A variable pressure valve assembly is disposed in the foot pedal assembly between the pedal housing and the pedal, the variable pressure valve assembly having an input opening and an output opening. An input hose is provided and has a first end connected to the input opening of the variable pressure valve and a second end adapted to connect to a source of pressurized gas. There is also an output hose having a first end connected to the output opening of the variable pressure valve and a remote second end. A dispenser is attached to the second end of the output hose, the dispenser including a chamber for holding the viscous fluid, and a nozzle in communication with the chamber for dispensing the fluid.
Foot pedal assemblies tend to be preferred over hand-actuated or trigger assemblies because the dispensers are not as bulky, and therefore permit a greater amount of control. The present invention is simple, compact, easy to use, and effective. The present invention is also configured to minimize the problem of material weeping out of the dispenser.